RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
May 2, 2002
NEW CODE CALLS FOR LIMIT ON COMPANY CAR DRIVER MILES
Three new codes to cut the number of accidents involving company car and van drivers will be launched by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents at a seminar next month.
RoSPA wants professional and trade associations, unions, local authorities, insurers, police and safety groups to sign up to the guidelines covering speed, driver fatigue and driver competence.
Recommendations to employers include: safe journey planning, with limits on the number of miles their drivers are allowed to cover in a day; possibly introducing "black box" technology to check on speeds; not letting people drive powerful cars unless they have proved they have the correct skills and attitude; taking action against persistent speeders; and assessing drivers to see if they need training.
About 1,000 of Britain's annual road deaths involve people who are on the road when at work - making it the country's biggest occupational safety problem. Company car and van drivers have been shown to have a poor accident record when compared with other drivers.
The three ten-point safety codes will be launched at a seminar on The Practical Aspects of Managing Occupational Road Risk at Volvo Truck and Bus, Warwick, on June 18. Fleet bosses, transport operators, safety and human resources managers, insurance brokers and solicitors are among those urged to attend.
Roger Bibbings, RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser, said: "Employers can no longer afford to avoid this vital safety issue. The Government's task force on work-related road safety has shown there is a massive consensus for action.
"It is in the interests of every company and their employees to sign up to our codes covering the key areas of speed, fatigue and driver competence.
"When driving to locations to carry out other work tasks, drivers should not normally be behind the wheel for more than 350 miles in a single day. If they are, we believe they will be too tired to be on the road and are likely to speed to get the job done.
"Black box technology can help employers monitor the way people are driving and allow them to spot speeders and erratic drivers. Research shows that it is often the more powerful company cars that are involved in speeding incidents. Driver training has been proved to make people less likely to have accidents."
Details of the seminar can be found at www.rospa.com/morr
